Air-conditioned seat cushion

ABSTRACT

An air-conditioned seat cushion includes a flexible seat cushion body bendable to fit a car seat and having a flexible flat fan mount forwardly extended from the front open side thereof and multiple air channels and air holes for ventilation, a fan affixed to the flexible flat fan mount, a hard fan cowl fixedly mounted in the seat cushion body and having shunt passages arranged in air communication between the air channels of the seat cushion body and the air output port of the fan, and a flow guide pivoted to the fan cowl and coupled to the air output port of the fan for biasing with the fan relative to the fan cowl when the flexible flat fan mount is bent relative to the fan cowl to fit a car seat and for guiding currents of air from the air output port of the fan into the shunt passages and the air channels of the seat cushion body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to seat cushions for car seats and more particularly, to an air-conditioned seat cushion, which uses a hard fan cowl to support the air channels in the seat cushion body of the seat cushion in shape and to guide currents of air from the fan through the air channels efficiently.

2. Description of the Related Art

A sofa chair, car seat or office chair generally has a flexible or soft cushion member made in a predetermined shape and supported on the seat or chair frame, and a covering of nonwoven fabric, genuine leather or synthetic leather covered on the flexible or soft cushion member. An orthopedically engineered seat gives an excellent support to the user sitting on it. However, because the nonwoven fabric, genuine leather or synthetic leather covering of a seat does not breathe, heat will be accumulated on the top of the seat after a long sitting during a hot day, causing the user to feel uncomfortable. Further, accumulation of heat on the top of the seat or sweating could lead to Eczema or bed sores in the contact area of the user's body skin. To avoid the aforesaid problem, a seat cushion prepared from wooden bead strings, bamboo or rattan weaving materials or the like may be attached to the seat to reduce body contact area. A seat cushion of this design facilitates ventilation. However, this kind of seat cushion cannot eliminate accumulation of heat when a person is sitting on it for a long time.

To facilitate ventilation, air-conditioned seat cushions are developed. FIG. 6 illustrates a conventional ventilation seat cushion. According to this design, the air-conditioned seat cushion comprises a flexible plastic board member A, a flexible plastic covering B, and a fan C. The flexible plastic board member A has flexible ribs A1 arranged in parallel on the top side thereof, a plurality of air channels A2 respectively defined in each two adjacent flexible ribs A1, a plurality of air holes A21 cut through the top and bottom sides in air communication with the air channels A2, and a front fan mounting space A3. The fan C is mounted in the front fan mounting space A3 of the flexible plastic board member A, having a power cord for connection to an external electric outlet. The flexible plastic covering B covers the fan C and the flexible plastic board member A. During operation of the fan C, currents of air is sent by the fan C into the air channels A2 and then forced out of the flexible plastic board member A through the air holes A21 to comfort the user. However, this design of air-conditioned seat cushion still has drawbacks as follows:

1. When a person is sitting on the air-conditioned seat cushion, the flexible ribs A1 and the air channels A2 will be forced to deform by the pressure of the user. In consequence, the height of the front fan mounting space A3 of the flexible plastic board member A outside the fan C will be lowered, obstructing the flow of air from the fan through the air channels A2 and lowering the ventilation performance of the air-conditioned seat cushion.

2. When the air-conditioned seat cushion is placed on a car seat to keep the front part of the air-conditioned seat cushion in vertical, the area of the air-conditioned seat cushion that turns through 90-degrees at the front side of the car seat tends to be deformed by the pressure of the user sitting on the air-conditioned seat cushion to block the air passage between the fan C and the air channels A2, resulting in high wind resistance during operation of the fan C. Under this situation, the fan C may burn out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide an air-conditioned seat cushion, which utilizes a hard fan cowl to provide a good support, keeping the air passage in shape for smooth flowing of air.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an air-conditioned seat cushion, which utilizes a pivoted flow guide to couple the fan to the fan cowl, allowing the fan to be set between a horizontal position and a vertical position relative to the fan cowl.

To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the air-conditioned seat cushion comprises a flexible seat cushion body, which is bendable to fit a car seat and has a flexible flat fan mount forwardly extended from the front open side thereof and multiple air channels and air holes for ventilation, a fan affixed to the flexible flat fan mount of the flexible seat cushion body, a hard fan cowl, which is fixedly mounted in the seat cushion body and has shunt passages arranged in air communication between the air channels of the seat cushion body and the air output port of the fan, and a flow guide pivoted to the fan cowl and coupled to the air output port of the fan. The flow guide is biasable with the fan relative to the fan cowl when the flexible flat fan mount is bent relative to the fan cowl to fit a car seat so that the flow guide guides currents of air from the air output port of the fan into the shunt passages and the air channels of the seat cushion body efficiently.

During application, the hard fan cowl gives a good support to the user sitting on the air-conditioned seat cushion, avoiding excessive deformation of the air channels and facilitating flowing of air from the fan through the air channels and the air holes. Further, the flow guide enables currents of air to be distributed evenly from the air output port of the fan through the shunt passages of the fan cowl into the air channels of the seat cushion body, lowering wind resistance and smoothening operation of the fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air-conditioned seat cushion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the air-conditioned seat cushion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a fan cowl for air-conditioned seat cushion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, showing the air-conditioned seat cushion set into shape for mounting on a car seat.

FIG. 5 is a side view in section of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of an air-conditioned seat cushion according to the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1˜5, an air-conditioned seat cushion in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a seat cushion body 1, a fan 2, and a fan cowl 3.

The seat cushion body 1 comprises a bottom cushion pad 11, a back cushion pad 12, and a plurality of bellows tubes 13 connected between the bottom cushion pad 11 and the back cushion pad 12. The bottom cushion pad 11 comprises a plurality of longitudinal ribs 111 arranged in parallel, a plurality of air channels 112 defined between each two adjacent longitudinal ribs 111, a plurality of air holes 113 vertically cut through the bottom wall thereof in communication with the air channels 112 and the outside space, an accommodation space 14 defined in a front side relative to the longitudinal ribs 111, and a flat fan mount 15 forwardly extended from the front open side 141 of the accommodation space 14. The flat fan mount 15 has a plurality of air vents 151 cut through the top and bottom sides thereof. The back cushion pad 12 comprises a plurality of longitudinal ribs 121 arranged in parallel, a plurality of air channels 122 defined between each two adjacent longitudinal ribs 121, and a plurality of air holes 123 vertically cut through the bottom wall thereof in communication with the air channels 112 and the outside space. Further, cover members 16 are respectively bonded to the bottom cushion pad 11 and the back cushion pad 12 over the longitudinal ribs 111 and 121.

The fan 2 is affixed to the flat fan mount 15, comprising a fan motor 21, a fan blade assembly 22 coupled to and rotatable by the fan motor 21, an air input port 23 facing the air vents 151, and air output port 24 remote from the air input port 23, a power cord 25 for connection to an external power source to provide the fan motor 21 with the necessary working voltage, and a control switch 26 for controlling the operation of the fan motor 21.

The fan cowl 3 is mounted in the accommodation space 14, comprising a plurality of shunt passages 31, a flow guide 32 pivotally provided at the front side for the connection of the air output port 24 of the fan 2, a plurality of air inlets 321 defined in the flow guide 32 for guiding currents of air from the fan 2 into the shunt passages 31, and a plurality of air outlets 311 respectively formed on one end of each of the shunt passages 31 opposite to the flow guide 32 and kept in air communication with the air channels 112 of the bottom cushion pad 11.

Further, the longitudinal ribs 111 and 121 of the seat cushion body 1 are made of a plastically deformable soft material such as foam, elastic polymers, rubber or silicon rubber, and bonded to the bottom wall of the top surface of the bottom cushion pad 11 or back cushion pad 12 with an adhesive. Further, the cover members 16 can be prepared from nonwoven fabric, plastic sheet material, synthetic fibers, genuine leather or artificial leather, and fastened to the bottom cushion pad 11 and the back cushion pad 12 with stitches. Further, the fan cowl 3 is a hard member made of metal or hard plastics. When a user sits on the seat cushion body 1, the longitudinal ribs 111 and 121 of the seat cushion body 1 are slightly deformed, however the fan cowl 3 gives a support, avoiding excessive deformation of the longitudinal ribs 111 and 121 of the seat cushion body 1 to block the air channels 112 and 122.

During application, the bottom cushion pad 11 is kept in horizontal, and the back cushion pad 12 is turned relative to the bottom cushion pad 11 to a vertical position. By means of the flexible material characteristic of the bellows tubes 13, the back cushion pad 12 can easily be turned relative to the bottom cushion pad 11 from horizontal to vertical. Thereafter, the seat cushion body 1 is placed on a car seat (not shown) and secured thereto with hook rings or fastening belts. At this time, the flat fan mount 15 is bent through 90-degrees relative to the fan cowl 3, and the flow guide 32 is biased with the fan 2 from a horizontal position to a vertical position at the front side of the car seat. Further, the bellows tubes 13 can be curved through 90-degrees without blocking the air passage so that currents of air can flow smoothly from the air channels 112 in the bottom cushion pad 11 to the air channels 122 in the back cushion pad 11 via the bellows tubes 13.

After connection of the power cord 25 of the fan 2 to an electric outlet or the socket for cigarette lighter in a car, the user can operate the control switch 26 to turn on the fan 2 and to control its operation speed. Thus, the fan 2 draws cooling air from inside space of the car through the shunt passages 31 of the fan cowl 3 into the seat cushion body 1, enabling intake currents of cooling air to flow through the air channels 112 and 122 and the air holes 113 and 123, and therefore the seat cushion body 1 is cooled to comfort the person sitting on it.

Further, when the fan 2 is drawing outside cooling air into the fan cowl 3, the intake flow of air flows through the air inlets 321 of the flow guide 32 into the shunt passages 31 toward the air outlets 311. Because the fan cowl 3 is a hard member made of metal or hard plastics, it has a strong structural strength to support the air inlets 321 and the shunt passages 31 constantly in shape.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 again, the flat fan mount 15 is bent through 90-degrees relative to the front open side 141 of the accommodation space 14, and the flow guide 32 is configured to connect the air output port 24 of the fan 2 to the shunt passages 31 at right angles. Because the flow guide 32 is made of metal or hard plastics, the pressure from the person sitting on the bottom cushion pad 11 does not deform the flow guide 32, and intake flow of air can flow through the air inlets 321, shunt passages 31 and air outlets 311 of the fan cowl 3 into the inside of the seat cushion body 1 smoothly without causing noises. Further, because intake flow of air is evenly distributed through the air inlets 321, shunt passages 31 and air outlets 311 of the fan cowl 3 into the inside of the seat cushion body 1, cooling air is guided out of the seat cushion body 1 through the air holes 113 and 123 efficiently, avoiding accumulation of hot air in the seat cushion body 1. Therefore, the air-conditioned seat cushion of the present invention is safe and durable in use.

According to the present preferred embodiment, the fan 2 is a side flow fan for blowing air through the seat cushion body 1. Alternative, the fan 2 can be a suction fan for sucking outside cooling air into the seat cushion body 1, or an ionizer fan that creates ions which remove microscopic particles from the air. Further, the installation of the fan 2, power cord 25 and control switch 26 and their connection, operation and control are of the known techniques, no further detailed description in this regard is necessary.

In conclusion, the invention provides an air-conditioned seat cushion, which has the following advantages and features:

1. During operation of the fan 2, the cooling air inside the car is circulating through the shunt passages 31 of the fan cowl 3 and the air channels 112 and 122 and air holes 113 and 123 of the bottom cushion pad 11 and back cushion pad 12 of the seat cushion body 1, so that the air-conditioned seat cushion imparts comfort to the user sitting on it.

2. The fan cowl 3 is a hard member having a high structural strength that provides excellent support. When a user is sitting on the bottom cushion pad 11, the pressure from the user may cause the bottom cushion pad 11 to deform. However, due to the support of the fan cowl 3, deformation of the bottom cushion pad 11 will never block the air channels 112 and the front open side 141 of the accommodation space 14, assuring smooth circulation of cooling air through the fan cowl 3 and the seat cushion body 1 and avoiding noises during circulation of cooling air.

3. During operation of the fan 2, cooling air is evenly distributed through the air inlets 321, shunt passages 31 and air outlets 311 of the fan cowl 3 into the inside of the seat cushion body 1 and guided out of the seat cushion body 1 through the air holes 113 and 123 efficiently, avoiding accumulation of hot air in the seat cushion body 1. Therefore, the fan 2 provides high stability and reliability and is safe and durable in use.

A prototype of air-conditioned seat cushion has been constructed with the features of FIGS. 1˜5. The air-conditioned seat cushion functions smoothly to provide all of the features disclosed earlier.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims. 

1. An air-conditioned seat cushion, comprising: a seat cushion body, said seat cushion body comprising a plurality of longitudinal ribs arranged in parallel, a plurality of air channels defined between each two adjacent longitudinal ribs, a plurality of air holes for communication between said air channels and the space outside said seat cushion body, an accommodation space located on a front side relative to said longitudinal ribs, said accommodation space having a front open side, and a flexible flat fan mount forwardly extended from the front open side of said accommodation space, said flexible flat fan mount being bendable through 90-degrees relative to said seat cushion body to fit a car seat, said flexible flat fan mount comprising air vents cut through top and bottom sides thereof; a fan affixed to said flexible flat fan mount, said fan comprising a fan motor, an air input port facing said air vents, and air output port opposite to said air input port, and a fan blade assembly coupled to and rotatable by said fan motor for causing outside cooling air to flow through said air vents and said air input port toward said air output port; a fan cowl fixedly mounted in said accommodation space inside said seat cushion body, said fan cowl comprising a plurality of shunt passages arranged in air communication with said air channels of said seat cushion body; and a flow guide pivoted to said fan cowl at a front side of said shunt passages and coupled to said air output port of said fan for biasing with said fan relative to said fan cowl when said flexible flat fan mount is bent relative to said fan cowl to fit a car seat and for guiding currents of air from said air output port of said fan into said shunt passages and said air channels of said seat cushion body.
 2. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seat cushion body comprises a bottom cushion pad having formed therein a first part of said longitudinal ribs, said air channels and said air holes, a back cushion pad having formed therein a second part of said longitudinal ribs, said air channels and said air holes, and a plurality of bellows tubes connected between said bottom cushion pad and said back cushion pad for enabling said bottom cushion pad and said back cushion pad to be bent through an angle relative to each other and for guiding currents of air from the air channels in said bottom cushion pad to the air channels in said back cushion pad.
 3. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said longitudinal ribs are formed of elastic polymers.
 4. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said longitudinal ribs are formed of rubber.
 5. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seat cushion body has a covering layer covered over said longitudinal ribs.
 6. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 5, wherein said covering layer of said seat cushion body is prepared from an elastic nonwoven fabric.
 7. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 5, wherein said covering layer of said seat cushion body is prepared from leather.
 8. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fan further comprises a power cord for connection to an external power source to provide said fan motor with the necessary working voltage, and a control switch for controlling on/off status and operation speed of said fan motor.
 9. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fan is a side flow fan.
 10. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fan is a suction fan.
 11. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fan is an exhaust fan.
 12. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fan cowl is made of metal.
 13. The air-conditioned seat cushion as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fan cowl is made of a hard plastic material. 